Sonya and I believe we have the best job in the world: always changing, always challenging and always learning something new.
As AI technology attempts to take over large portions of the transcription industry, we truly believe that the best transcripts are still those prepared by human hands and ears.
The advantages of a real person vs software or AI…
The human brain knows that obviously the words should be “carry on,” in the context and not “Carrie-Ann.” Or that what sounds like, “specific goal,” in the context of the transcript is obviously, “Pacific gull.” Automated software still has a long way to go in terms of accuracy, if you don’t believe us, look at some of the captioning on your TV.
Although using software appears cheaper for the client at the outset, the amount of time spent editing and correcting errors (especially if there is any background noise or accents) far outweighs the cost of a decent job being done in the first place.
There are also companies offering a low set price per audio minute regardless of the number of voices or quality of the audio. The question you should be asking then is, “If I’m being charged $1 per audio minute, what are the people transcribing my work getting paid?” We all have budgets and bottom lines, but the fact is it takes around four hours to transcribe a clear 60 minute file. An experienced transcriptionist can bring that down to three hours. Obviously, if there are lots of voices and accents, and background noise, it can take up to six hours. So with a set rate of $1 per audio minute, you can get your 60 minute audio file transcribed for $60, that sounds great! But…the transcriber will be earning around .45 an audio minute, which means for the entire job the transcriptionist will be paid $27. Now divide that by three to get what they are paid per hour. Now divide that by four or six if there are multiple speakers, or background noise. Doesn’t sound so great now. It’s unlikely that someone being paid such a low rate per hour is going to give you the best result.
Experienced transcriptionists are professionals. No subject matter will faze them, the worst audio is a challenge. You will receive back a transcript that is correct in every detail and with next to no time-stamps. It’s a truism that if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, and we want our clients to get the best value for their money.
At Top Team Transcripts, we pride ourselves on our team, our expertise and the relationship that we have with you, the client. Money spent on using professionals in the first instance will pay you back tenfold in savings on editing, or having to have the file reworked.
